The 'January Effect' for cyberattacks is real, say experts

Moderator, News & Information, BSOD Kernel Dump Analyst, Contributor

It's the most wonderful -- and dangerous -- time of the year, most information security experts agree

If you're reading this, then the world hasn't ended per the Mayan calendar. But it still might be a good idea for those in the information security business to be wary of this time of year.

Jeffrey Carr, an author on cyberwarfare and founder and CEO of Taia Global, noted in a post on Infosec Island this week that he has noticed a major breach or act of cyber warfare that kicks off the New Year -- every year since 2009.

Carr calls it "The January Effect," a well-established term in the investment world that refers to an expected price rise in securities after the first of the year. The effect, he said, is viewed as an opportunity for the bad guys.

He listed four major events as evidence:

December 2008 - January 2009: Operation Cast Lead, a land war between Israel and Hamas that included thousands of simultaneous cyberattacks.

December 2009 - January 2010: Google and 20-plus other companies were breached.

January 2011 (approximate) - March 2011: RSA was breached sometime early in 2011, and announced it on March 17, 2011.